Arif Panju is an attorney with the Institute for Justice Texas office (IJ-TX). He joined the Institute in September 2012 and litigates economic liberty, school choice, free speech, property rights, and other constitutional cases in both federal and state courts.

Arif successfully represented four street vendors in a challenge against the city of El Paso, Texas, leading to the repeal of a law that prohibited street vendors from operating near brick-and-mortar restaurants. On behalf of Valerie Evans, Kendra Palmer and the Black Alliance for Educational Options he is currently defending Louisiana’s statewide school choice law, Act 2.

Arif also works through the media and legislation to educate the public and protect individual liberty. His work on constitutional law at IJ has been featured in newspapers and websites including the Austin American-Statesman, El Paso Times, WSJ Online, and in blogs for The Atlantic, ABA Journal and Fox Business. In 2011, Arif helped advance the effort to pass anti-SLAPP legislation in the Texas Legislature and provide better protections for those asserting their First Amendment rights.

Prior to joining IJ-TX, Arif was an attorney at Cantilo & Bennett LLP, and a former constitutional law fellow at IJ-TX. Arif sits on the board of directors for the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and The Creative Fund.

Arif graduated with honors from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law in 2009. During law school he clerked on the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Arif received his undergraduate degree from Southwest Texas State University in 1999.